Tobacco control advocates including the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and their partners in Nigeria’s movie industry popularly known as Nollywood have expressed support for the move to prohibit smoking, money rituals, ritual killings and other social vices in movies, music videos and skits in the entertainment industry.
The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) had on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, announced that it would henceforth restrict the depiction of smoking, ritual killings and money rituals in movies, music videos and skits.
Executive Director of NFVCB, Dr ShDru Husseini, disclosed this in Enugu during a National Stakeholders’ Engagement on the #Smoke-Free Nollywood campaign organised in collaboration with the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA).
Husseini said the Federal Government will prohibit the depiction and glamorisation of smoking, violence, criminal and immoral acts, ritual killings and money rituals in Nigeria’s film industry, saying the country was facing “a film industry emergency that requires bold and ambitious actions” from parents, guardians and stakeholders.
“Therefore, after a series of engagements, the NFVCB, in collaboration with CAPPA, decided to make Subsidiary Regulations to address smoking in movies since this aspect was not expressly spelt out in the extant Law.
“I am delighted to announce that the Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, pursuant to Section 65 of the NFVCB Act 2004, has approved the Prohibition of Money Ritual, Ritual Killing, Tobacco, Tobacco ProduProductsotine Product Promotion, Glamorization, Display in Movies, Musical Videos and Skits Regulations 2024, a copy of which we have forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Justice for gazetting,” he said.
He explained that the goal was to eradicate smoking in movies and skits, adding: “We are going to be working with the industry to see how we achieve zero, completely smoke-free Nollywood.”
Husseini, who identified the tobacco industry’s tricks to promote smoking, expressed confidence that the government was prepared to counter them, saying: “Recently we realised that tobacco industries hide under the banner of entertainment to flaunt smoking. The NFVCB is well prepared to take leadership in this regard and has planned and begun implementing innovative ways to achieve its mandate, especially at this crucial time when the National Assembly is insisting that there is the need to curb the rising spate of cultism, trafficking, consumption of illicit drugs and other substances among Nigerian youths.
“The Board had been urged to undertake detailed enlightenment programmes in secondary schools, tertiary institutions, local communities, faith groups and other institutions, as well as impose restrictions on home movies promoting all social vices.”
Participants at the event included veteran actors and top filmmakers, producers, scriptwriters, marketers and distributors from across the country, such as Zeb Ejiro, Fred Amata, Segun Arinze, Bolaji Amusan and the Aneke Twins, as well as leaders of various guilds and associations in the Nigerian film industry, who affirmed their commitment to a pro-health Nollywood by pledging to ensure a smoke-free Nollywood.
On his part, Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, stressed the need for stakeholders to work towards a Smoke-Free Nollywood in the interest of a healthy future for Nigerian children.
He said: “Shockingly, studies have shown that smoking remains prevalent in Nigerian movies in contravention of the NTC Act and the Tobacco Control Regulations 2019, which explicitly prohibits tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorships in movies and entertainment. There is also a clear provision for warnings that should accompany any tobacco depiction that is necessary for “Historical Accuracy and Artistic Expression.
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“With the power to tell the Nigerian story, shape our future, and build a genuinely productive society, Nollywood has a role to play in ensuring that the growing concerns of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria are addressed. There is a need to reverse the role movies and music videos play in painting smoking and tobacco use as a cool way of life.
“With over five million young Nigerians aged 15 years addicted to smoking cigarettes, our job, not just as movie practitioners and industry experts but also as parents, is to rise to the occasion and act right to protect our children and prepare for a smoke-free future. We are at a point where we must stop the glamorisation of smoking and instead, promote healthy lifestyles.”
On his part, in-Countin-contractor of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), Michael Olaniyan, who delivered a presentation titled “A Code of Practice for Smoking in the Entertainment and Plenary for Next Steps”, urged stakeholders to be careful not to breach the NTC Act while shooting movies.
He added that the Act demands the prohibition of avoidable/unnecessary smoking scenes, avoidable/unnecessary tobacco use of any kind, glamorisation of tobacco use, tobacco brand marking, tobacco product placements and sponsorship by tobacco companies, among others.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NFC, Dr ADrNuhu, backed the move to rescue “vibrant and energetic youths from the claws of smoking-related and early health challenges.”
Nuhu, who was represented by the NFC’s Director, Public Affairs, Brian Etuk, lamented that “most of our youths have become victims of circumstances having taken to smoking habits, with consequential health challenges and damage to body organs. We must, therefore, use the power of film and movies to help address the gradual but avoidable drifts that are ultimately life-threatening.”
Concurring, Enugu State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, noted the “incredible influence” Nollywood holds over public perceptions and behaviours and urged film industry professionals to promote public health by making movies smoke-free.
Alliance Coordinator for Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance, Olawale Makanjuola, commended the NFVCB, adding: “We all know the role film, and most importantly, Nollywood, plays in our culture. For us, there is no better partner than the NFVCB and the creative industry in ensuring that our screens remain smoke-free, thereby strengthening our public health infrastructures.”
